1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tracking containers and their contents and, more specifically, to providing item-layer visibility and verifying manifest information by interrogating one layer within a logistical hierarchy of multiple heterogeneous layers of containers.
2. Description of Related Art
Ever-increasing global trade underscores a modern global economy which depends on goods transported in a global supply chain. Generally, a global supply chain is a network of international suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and other entities that handle goods from their component parts to consumer consumption. For example, semiconductor testing equipment is exported from the United States to Taiwan, where semiconductors are processed and then sent to Malaysia for assembly into computers. Subsequently, the computers are shipped to warehouses in the United States, and ultimately, to consumer outlets for consumption.
However, current tracking systems have difficulty tracking container contents because goods are nested within several containers during shipping. For example, in terms of a nesting as defined by the ISO (International Standards Organization) item layers are packed into package layers, which are in turn stored in carton layers. Several carton layers are stored in a unit load layers, and several unit load layers are stored in container layers. Note that “container” is used here in a broader sense that includes each ISO layer and other enclosures. A vehicle transports several container layers at a time. Thus, an operator can only assume that an item is on a vehicle based on static nesting information collected during packing. Accordingly, if the good were stolen during shipment, or lost by being shipped to a wrong location, it is not possible to discover the missing good until each layer of container is opened at a consignee.
A related problem is that current tracking systems have no real-time information for tracking container contents, especially at the item-layer. Because physical contents travel separately from data about the contents, the tracking system is not able to provide dynamically verified information about contents. A port operator needing to know the contents of the container must log-in to the tracking system to retrieve static information. Moreover, the data about contents is often delayed and, thus, the operator may not even be able to retrieve some information.
Additionally, many checkpoints are only capable of tracking in through paths in the global supply chain that are static. The stationary checkpoints are set up in a persistent configuration and communicate with tags passing within range. However, in environments with unpredictable asset movement, such as military operations, stationary checkpoints are generally unavailable, and lack the communication facilities and mobility to be set up on-the-fly.
Therefore, what is needed is a robust and mobile system providing nested visibility of a hierarchy of associated containers. The solution should further provide item-layer visibility and end-to-end tracking of goods within a global supply chain.